Top Ten Reasons to Outsource

How outsourcing has become the lifeblood of the nonprofit sector

Over the last decade, outsourcing has become a lifeline across the nonprofit sector. The smaller organisations are especially benefiting, utilising expertise that is simply impossible to maintain inhouse amongst a small team.

Whether it’s improving efficiencies or investing your organisation’s internal resources in the right places, outsourcing will enable you to leverage expertise across the different phases of your supporter engagement lifecycle, building your own capability and ensuring you achieve expected outcomes.

Regardless of the size of your organisation, there are many other reasons nonprofits and higher education institutions should consider outsourcing and start reaping the immediate benefits.

Here are just a few of the top reasons you should consider outsourcing:

1.Get Working Faster and Reduce Costs

Hiring staff takes a long time and can be costly. A 2014 study revealed that in Australia there was an average of 28 days required for the interview process. Add on the extra paperwork and this means a significant lead time is required before you have someone onboard and operating to their full potential and capacity. Outsourcing provides your organisation with a dedicated expert that’s ready to hit the ground running. At the same time outsourcing allows you to lower expenditures on fixed costs and control variable costs that can result in significant savings.

2.Tap into Global Expertise and Superior Support

Unless you have luck hiring an expert in the field, you need guidance on best practice when spearheading a new project. A professional consultant within the sector brings a wealth of expertise in best-practice methodology, focusing on the nonprofit sector and data-driven fundraising. To your advantage you can tap into this global expertise.

3.Don’t Worry About Infrastructure

In-house projects require you to build infrastructure, which can mean anything from upgrading a PC to Windows 10, to investing in new software or an entire SQL Server. By partnering with a professional consultant from an established organisation that’s done it before for other organisations and has the infrastructure in place may be a great way forward. You will be able to put your mind at ease and don’t have to worry about setup or the enormous upfront investment.

4.Let’s you Get on With Your Mission

As much as I love fundraising and understand the importance of data management, those are back-of-house processes and usually not of interest to your donors or beneficiaries. By outsourcing these functions, you and your team have more time to focus on what really matters – your mission and continuing to make a difference in the world.

5.Become Part of Something Bigger

Blackbaud works with thousands of organisations around the world, with a team of dedicated experts and consultants. By outsourcing, you will have access to these resources and global knowledge culminating from a diverse team with experience built over many decades working with leading nonprofit and higher education institutions across the globe.

6.Predictable, Planned Investment

Let’s face it the costs of hiring can be unpredictable. A candidate may desire compensation higher than you planned, and a recruitment company will always strive to take their share. Add on any capital purchases, and you are looking at higher upfront costs, with ongoing uncertainty. By outsourcing, there are clear pricing and payment terms outlined for your project in advance. As a result you can plan ahead and avoid surprises along the way. In many cases, the overall investment can be less than hiring an in-house employee.

7.Accountability

When you engage with Blackbaud, you benefit from the skills of an outsourced consultant, engagement manager, and account manager. All three will work seamlessly together to ensure the services you have been provided are being delivered on time and on budget. They will also ensure you have the ongoing support your project truly deserves.

8.Flexibility and Adaptability

Outsourcing is designed to meet the needs of your organisation, whatever it may be. From short-term support through to ongoing staff training, strategic planning, and everything in between. Having this flexibility helps provide your team the support when and where it’s needed most.

9.No Upskill Required

Training can be a costly exercise and time consuming especially when you have to train up a new employee. When you weigh that against bringing on board a professional consultant that already has that knowledge which you can tap into and will deliver the same level of output but with greater quality, that is straight up a win-win situation. That means you don’t have to worry about investing in training, as all of that has been taken care of beforehand, at no cost to you.

10.The Blackbaud Team

I have the privilege of working with a team of dedicated, passionate, and skilled individuals every day. I am inspired to constantly learn new things and appreciate the contributions my colleagues make to my work. As a result of this experience, I know that having us join your team will make a significant difference and help your organisation achieve even more amazing things.

Michael Ward is one of Blackbaud’s leading consultants based in the Asia Pacific region and also an expert in the implementation of Managed Services. Over the past two years he has built a strong foundation working with clients across the nonprofit and higher education sectors starting with key roles within both the Customer Success team and most recently working as a consultant in the Professional Services team. His determination and endurance enables him to partner with clients at all different levels of the organisation to help bring out the best in their Blackbaud investment. His true passion lies in enabling his clients to succeed.